USA outslug Chinese Taipei, earn right to face them in World Championship final

World No. 2 United States and No. 4 Chinese Taipei will compete again in a U-12 Baseball World Cup final. USA outscored Chinese Taipei, 11-3, in the final game of the Super Round, earning the right to advance to the World Championship game thanks to a better Team Quality Balance (TQB) over Japan and Venezuela. The hosts took a quick 2-0 lead. The defending world champions came back to tie it and took the lead on a grand slam by Tyler Early. Paris Head pitched five innings for the win.

USA starter Paris Head walked leadoff hitter Chun-Han Tien and sent him to second with a wild pitch. With one out, shortstop Yi-Hau Huang singled to bring Tien to third. One run was scored on a defensive error, and catcher Yu-Yen Lo batted in the second.

Third baseman Zaylon Johnson doubled to lead off USA's second at-bat. Left fielder Gavin Gomez singled to bring him to third, and Johnson scored on a sacrifice fly.

Leadoff hitter Nicholis Parker doubled to end starter Chang-Ruei Cheng's game in the top of the third. Chinese Taipei handed the ball to Pin-Yu Lin. Designated hitter Leyland Henry singled to tie the game.

USA took the lead in the top of the fourth. They loaded the bases with two outs on back-to-back singles by second baseman Grayson Wuis, shortstop Micah Delos and a walk. Right fielder Tyler Early got to Lin's third pitch and drove it to dead centre. The grand slam became his fourth home run in the tournament.

Chinese Taipei handed the ball to Ting-Wei Lin, their third pitcher, to get out of the inning.

The reliever got himself into trouble as he hit Gomez and allowed a base hit to first baseman Ty Glaus to lead off the fifth. Wuis advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, and Parker and Early followed with back-to-back singles to extend the USA lead to 9-2.

After getting only two hits in the first four at-bats, Chinee Taipei combined three in the bottom of the fifth. The third was an RBI double by Yi-Hau Huang.

The defending champions added two runs in the top of the sixth on RBI doubles by Wuis and Parker.

Jett Schoolcraft took care of the final three outs.

USA and Chinese Taipei have faced each other in previous U-12 Baseball World Cup finals, in 2013, 2015 and 2017, where the former have won on all three occasions.

The United States (2013, 2015, 2017 and 2021) and Chinese Taipei (2011 and 2019) are the only two teams that have won the U-12 world titles since its inception in 2011.